The Bride and the Brute

by Laurel O'Donnell

  Jayce didn’t realize until a moment later that the cloth was his leggings.

  Her eyes dipped past his waist to his buttocks. They were rounded and firm. His long legs were well muscled. Her gaze traveled back up his body. His torso was strong, and she saw his shoulder muscles release as he drew himself up taller.

  He slowly turned to face her. “Come in.” His voice rumbled through her like a tremor. “And close the door.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jayce obeyed Reese without question, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. It was only when she heard the soft thump of the door that she realized with a start what she had done. Shut herself in with a naked man. And not any naked man, but her husband.

  She swallowed hard and pressed herself back against the wall.

  A smile curved his lips before Reese moved to the bed and sat down, pulling on his leggings.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t realize you were here.”

  “It’s my room,” he replied.

  She swallowed again and could do no more than nod in agreement.

  He pulled a white tunic over his head. “Where were you?” he demanded.

  Jayce watched with a pang of remorse as his beautiful body disappeared beneath his tunic. “I didn’t know you were looking for me,” she responded.

  “That wasn’t my question,” he said, picking up a string to thread through the “V” in the neck of his tunic.

  Without thinking, Jayce stepped forward, taking the string from his hand. She stood before him, feeding the string through the first loop. “I was out walking. It’s a beautiful morning, and I wanted to see it before the village woke. I---” She paused, realizing what she was doing. She lifted her gaze to meet his amused blue eyes. “Sorry.” She dropped the string into his hand.

  Reese eyed her, and Jayce had to drop her gaze beneath his intense perusal. “You were with Satan again, weren’t you?”

  “You told me to stay away from him.” Nervously, she took a step back.

  Reese’s hand shot out, ensnaring her wrist. He rose before her like a god casting judgment and finding her lacking. He pulled her close to him.

  Jayce’s heart raced at his nearness. He was so strong. He smelled like leather and musk. His chest just barely touched the tips of her breasts and it sent swirls of desire and anticipation coursing through her. She stared into his blue eyes and found them smoldering like the blue at the center of a flame. For a breathless moment she waited. She felt his hand skim her waist to her thigh.

  “Then what’s this?” he asked softly, and patted her pocket.

  “My leg,” she whispered.

  A low rumble sounded from his throat, and his eyes lit up. Jayce had never seen a more wondrous sight. Her heart melted into a pool of contentment.

  Reese pulled a carrot out of her pocket and displayed it before her eyes.

  For a moment, Jayce frowned in confusion, her foggy mind refusing to relinquish the tenderness in his eyes. Then the cold realization of where the carrot had come from jarred her. She fumbled for a coherent thought. “I---I happen to like carrots,” she bridled. She grabbed the carrot from him and took a bite.

  “What a strange coincidence. So does Satan.”

  “He’s a wonderful horse, Reese. It would be such a shame to destroy him. He’s so smart and spirited and beautiful. I know he can be tamed. You’re just going about it all the wrong way. I---”

  Reese lifted a finger and touched it to her lips, silencing her. His finger trailed the shape of her lips and moved over her cheek to her jaw. “Satan will live. But only until you tire of him.”

  Jayce’s lips tingled where he had caressed them. She stared into his eyes, wanting more, but unsure of what.

  Reese stepped back from her, pulling his hand away. “But I don’t want you near him unless I’m with you.”

  As he moved away, Jayce felt the contentment in her heart drain away. “Reese!” Jayce called, suddenly very desperate for him to remain at her side.

  Reese paused at the doorway.

  She fumbled with her whirling thoughts for a moment before asking, “If my father hadn’t taken Nicole, would you have courted me?”

  A sad smile curved the corners of his lips. “I would not have known you then.” He turned and was gone.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Two days later, Reese found himself once again outside Satan’s pen, leaning against the fence, his arms resting on the top rail. He saw the impetuous girl grin as the horrid creature took another carrot from her hand. She reached out and actually patted the beast’s nose. Reese snorted. He had owned Satan for six months and couldn’t even get near the fiend.

  He shook his head in complete disbelief as the horse nuzzled its head against Jayce’s hand. “Wretched beast,” Reese grumbled, and looked away from the touching scene. Something in it disturbed him. Something that had nothing to do with the horse. He had watched her work with the animal, cooing and talking to it for an hour and a half. One might think he had nothing better to do than to watch her handle Satan. One might think he was slack in his care of his lands when all he could do was stand at the fence and stare at Jayce.

  He envied the damn horse. And that thought disturbed him much more than what others might think.

  “Try it.”

  Reese lifted his head to see Jayce holding a carrot out to him, an encouraging grin on her red lips. He almost reached out and took the carrot, enchanted enough to do her bidding. But then the animal snickered, and Reese turned his gaze to it. A snarl curled his lips. “I don’t think so.”

  “You have to try someday,” Jayce said.

  “I do not bribe animals into becoming tame,” he proclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “No, you whip them and beat them into submission. That’s no way to gain loyalty.”

  Reese opened his mouth to object, a scowl crossing his dark brow.

  “Let me show you something,” Jayce said, overriding his objection.

  To his horror, the little imp ducked beneath the rails and moved into the pen. “What do you think you’re doing?” Reese demanded. “Leave there at once.”

  “Don’t worry,” Jayce assured him. “Satan won’t hurt me.”

  “That remains to be seen,” Reese warned. “Get out of there now.”

  “Most creatures respond better to kindness than to a whipping.” She approached Satan with her hand outstretched.

  The horse whinnied and raised his hoof, smashing the ground and splaying up a cloud of dirt. A thunderous panic rang in Reese’s ears. He gripped the fence so tightly his knuckles turned white. “Jayce, don’t.”

  She moved up to the horse and it towered over her, steam coming from its nostrils, fire from its mouth. Reese boosted himself up onto the fence, ready to bolt over it to save Jayce.

  Jayce reached over the horse, stroking its mane. She grabbed a handful of its hair and in one movement, hauled herself onto the animal’s back.

  Reese’s heart lurched into his throat and he leapt the fence, racing toward Jayce only to find her staring down at him from atop the creature. It suddenly became clear as daylight to Reese. They were cohorts. She had been here many times before, talking to the beast, selling her soul to ride the demon.

  Reese gritted his teeth. “I told you not to come here without me.”

  “I never would have gotten to this point with you brooding at the gate and glowering when I tried to do anything. Besides,” she said, calmly stroking the horse’s mane, “you make Satan nervous.”

  “I---!” That was the final straw. He approached her with a dark look. But Satan pawed the earth in warning, and Reese came up short, knowing the animal could trample him in a moment. “Get down from there,” he called.

  Jayce lifted her eyes to him. Those blue orbs shone at him, and Reese realized that the nervousness he felt in the pit of his stomach was for her safety. He would have done anything to get the girl from the devil’s back. He would have battled a thou
sand men to see her safe. But he knew that his grim resolve would not get her from the beast’s back. He gritted his teeth again. “Please,” he said begrudgingly.

  Jayce slid down Satan’s side, and Reese grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the horse. “Are you mad?” he demanded. “He could have trampled you! He could have thrown you, and you could have broken your neck!”

  Jayce stared at him sympathetically. “You don’t have to be afraid of Satan.”

  “Afraid?” Reese snorted. “I’m not afraid.”

  She grabbed a blanket off the fence and shoved it into his arms. Reese stared down at it. Then, with determination, he lifted his gaze to Satan. The horse stared at Reese, watching him out of distrustful eyes.

  Reese opened the blanket, cautiously approaching.

  “Talk to him,” Jayce encouraged.

  “What do you say to an arrogant, willful---”

  “Reese,” Jayce warned.

  Reese grimaced. “Traitor,” he murmured at the horse. “How could you let a woman tame you?” But Reese knew how. He had to but look into Jayce’s eyes to be captured by the spell of her beauty. Perhaps he had more in common with the horse than he realized. “Easy,” Reese whispered. “I won’t hurt you. All I have to do is slip this over your back.”

  Reese carefully stepped up beside the horse. The animal nickered softly as Reese slowly, painfully slowly, eased the blanket onto his back. “That’s a good boy,” he soothed. “You’re doing fine.” He stood for a long moment, unable to move. Finally, he straightened a corner of the blanket and quietly stepped away from the horse.

  Reese backed to the gate, refusing to take his eyes from the horse, sure that at any moment he would charge him and try to trample him beneath his hooves. But the horse didn’t move. It stood absolutely still, just watching Reese with dark eyes that mirrored the sun in their depths.

  Reese joined Jayce at the fence. He shook his head in bemusement, casting one last glance over his shoulder at Satan. When he looked down at Jayce, he found her beaming a smile up at him. It was a smile filled with pride. “Come on,” he commanded, and headed back toward the castle.

  Jayce quickly took up step beside him. In all the time Reese had owned the damned beast, he hadn’t been able to get within five steps of the animal. Satan had knocked him to the ground more than once. But under Jayce’s guidance, he had actually put a blanket on the stubborn horse. Reese smiled in disbelief.

  “Now you’re ready to ride him,” Jayce commented.

  He looked at Jayce in wonderment, then shook his head. “I don’t think so. Putting a blanket on him is one thing. Riding the monster is another.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jayce gazed out into the black night, content for the first time since she had arrived. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was hope yet. Reese didn’t hate her as he had when she first arrived. A fond smile touched her lips. And she wasn’t quite so afraid of him.

  A rumble of thunder jarred her out of her reverie and she stumbled away from the window, staring into the darkness outside the castle. It was mere seconds before lightning lit the sky like a torch.

  Jayce grabbed a blanket from the bed and raced from the room toward the great hall. It was late at night, and she knew there would be hardly anyone there. But there would be a fire in the hearth. Perhaps its warmth would ease the chill cocooning her body.

  As she descended the stairs, all but running, she drew the blanket tightly around her shoulders. A crash of thunder spurred her on to a frantic pace and she almost tripped, but caught herself on the stone wall of the castle. She ran the rest of the way to the great hall, bursting through the doors.

  The room was empty and she padded across the hall toward the inviting flames. She heard the wind pick up outside, howling its fury, and rushed toward the protective warmth of the hearth. She didn’t see the man sitting before the flames until she was almost beside him.

  Reese looked up as she skidded to a halt. Those blue eyes swept her, and he was out of his chair, seizing her shoulders before she could think coherently.

  “What’s wrong?” he demanded.

  She swallowed hard, trying to find comfort in his eyes. For a long moment, she couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. She wanted to curl into his embrace.

  Thunder boomed around her and the castle seemed to shake. She glanced up at the ceiling, half-expecting the walls to come tumbling down around her.

  “Jayce?”

  She returned her frightened gaze to Reese, pulling the blanket tightly around her throat.

  “You’re trembling,” he observed.

  Jayce opened her mouth to reply, but there was nothing to tell him. No words came out.

  Another grumble of thunder filled the night, and she instinctively stepped closer to Reese.

  He took her elbow and led her to a chair near his. He set her into it and knelt before her. “Are you all right?”

  Jayce nodded tentatively.

  Reese reached up and brushed a lock of hair from her cheek.

  At the soft caress, Jayce lowered her gaze from the ceiling to his face. He gently disentangled her hands from the blanket and held them in his own. His hands were so much larger than hers; they covered hers completely, engulfing them in a sheltered warmth. She watched his hands enfold her own. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “You must think I’m a horribly weak person.”

  “No,” he whispered, leaning toward her.

  Thunder rumbled in the air, and her grip tightened around his. “I’ve been afraid of storms all my life,” she said softly. “The thunder, the wind, the rain. It’s so loud...”

  Reese leaned forward and brushed a kiss against her lips, quieting her words. When he pulled back, it wasn’t far. His blue eyes filled her vision. Their noses touched, and his breath fanned across her mouth. Jayce parted her lips to speak, but nothing came out.

  Reese leaned toward her, pressing his lips to hers in a more demanding kiss. He covered her mouth with his, and she was shocked at the desire that flamed to life inside her. Her stomach swirled, as did her entire world.

  She felt his hands move up her arms, pulling her closer. She was suddenly so lost in the tumult of emotions raging through her she didn’t even hear the loud crack of thunder that filled the castle.

  *****

  Reese crushed Jayce to him, enticing her to open to his exploration. When she parted her lips tentatively, he took the invitation and thrust his tongue into her mouth, tasting her sweetness. His hands cupped her face, tilting her chin up to meet his desperate kiss. He groaned softly. She was heavenly. She tasted of warm honey and sweet innocence. He kissed her chin and trailed kisses down her neck. He wanted her like he had never wanted anything before.

  She was his world, the center of his universe. She was... his wife. The recollection shattered the shell of deception he was immersing himself in. He froze, then pulled away from her.

  He saw the confusion in her priceless eyes, saw the hurt. He looked away from her and stood. “Jayce,” he said, the word like a groan of denial. “I’m sorry... but I can’t take you as my wife.”

  He chanced a look at her. She was nestled in the chair, wrapped in a warm blanket, her lips swollen from his heated kiss.

  Jayce rose stiffly. He could see the pain he was causing her in her trembling lower lip. If she were any other woman, he knew she would burst into tears and flee from him. But not his Jayce. She stood righteously before him, her chin angled in a brilliant show of determination.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” she whispered harshly. “If you despise me so, then---”

  “I don’t despise you,” he interrupted, and was shocked at the tenderness in his voice. He stepped toward her, meaning to comfort her.

  But she took a step away from him, banging into the chair, sending it toppling to the floor. “But you can’t love me. And if you can’t, then what future is there for us?”

  Love? Reese wondered. Future? What future did they have together? Hadn’t he asked himself that que
stion time and again? A loveless marriage. His father’s agonized visage rose before his mind’s eye. It was not a life he would submit himself to. His wife would be devoted to him completely, so in love with him that she would not think of looking at another man. Jayce already commanded Dylan’s devotion. Who else would fall victim to her charm?

  Reese turned away from her.

  Thunder growled through the castle like a stalking lion. A log in the fire crackled and popped. The wind screeched outside the fortress.

  Reese heard her footsteps and whirled, finding her fleeing toward the kitchens, the blanket still wrapped about her shoulders. Her long dark hair whipped out behind her like the flag of a retreating enemy.

  Reese knew he should go after her. She was frightened of the storm, with no one to turn to. His heart began to hammer in his chest. Alone. He knew what it was like to be alone. Truly alone. He had lain in his bed after his mother had died, heir to Castle Harrington, frightened, overwhelmed. And very much alone.

  Thunder scolded him from the heavens.

  Reese shot out of the chair and found himself running toward the kitchens.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jayce wasn’t really sure where she was going. She fled through the castle, searching for a safe spot where she could sit out the storm. But her vision kept blurring and the rumble of thunder was growing louder, confusing her senses. As a flash of lightning lit the hallway, Jayce ducked into a room, covering her ears against the crash of thunder. She pressed her back to the wooden door, waiting and praying, pulling the blanket tighter around her.

  “Sweetheart,” her father had said. “Your mother... she can’t be with you anymore.”

  A fierce crash resounded around the castle, and Jayce swore she felt the stone structure tremble.